Dark-Hunter Audition
by BPen
Summary: Little short stories for Sasha, Astrid and Zarek.
1. Zarek

Audition Pt 1 Zarek

With a startled gasp, Zarek bolted upright in his bed. He was drenched in a cold sweat and after a few seconds of panicked breathing, he realized his entire body was trembling with an all-consuming, undeniable fear. Raking his shaking fingers through his long midnight hair angrily, Zarek reflected on the cause of his sudden and horrible anxiety: dreams. Dreams of the past that had been not quite resolved, but put to bed for the most part. At least, that's what he liked to pretend.

In reality, the past was always there. Even in the days of living with his star.

Astrid was waking up because of his movements and the sound of his breathing. Though her blue eyes were clouded with sleep still, she rubbed them and propped her slender torso up by one elbow resting on her pillow. Her long blonde hair was a mess and the sight hardly ever failed to make him smile- she was beautiful no matter what, but in his eyes there was just something heart-warmingly intimate about waking up next to her. She didn't put up defenses. She was vulnerable and trusting. Even without the amazing lazy-morning sex they had sometimes, waking up with Astrid was something Zarek never would take for granted.

But tonight, it didn't chase away this feeling.

"Zarek?" She mumbled. She observed his frustrated and frightened state, and sat up completely. Now she realized something bad had happened and she gently reached out to him, placing a delicate hand on his shoulder to pull him close. "Come here," she breathed. Zarek allowed her wordlessly to embrace him. She held him as if she was promising to fight of any bad dreams he had. The thought pierced through the sharp breaths and fear he had and calmed him. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and focused only on her bare skin touching his, and the warmth of her body transferring to him, and the sound of her breath she exhaled gently. After a few minutes, Astrid judged he had sufficiently relaxed, then spoke up.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

He didn't really want to. Not because he didn't trust his wife, but because he wasn't very used to sharing feelings.

"I don't feel like starring on Dr. Phil tonight."

"Good, because I'd like to think I'm way prettier than a balding, older-middle-aged American talk-show host. And for the record, it's not nighttime anymore. It's two thirty in the morning," she answered, squinting at the digital clock she had set up on the nightstand next to the bed. Zarek grimaced.

"Sorry for waking you up like this." To that, Astrid merely stroked his soft hair with her fingers with a gentleness that took Zarek's breath away.

"I'm here for you in good times and bad, love," she murmured. "If you are hurting, my spidey-senses will tingle and I'll get up and weather the storm with you. Count on it." Zarek knew that she meant it, and it calmed him down more. His wife was a wonderful, caring person and he often felt like he didn't deserve her.

He pressed his hands to his face to cover his eyes and take more deep breaths.

"Let me in, Zarek." Her voice was like silk rustling over his skin. He uncovered his eyes and looked over at her, and Astrid was surprised to see the fear and anger and hurt paining his eyes.

"It was just a dream," he whispered, and Astrid had a feeling he was trying to convince himself of that more than her. "I just… You know how vivid my dreams get." And she did. Zarek, on top of having nightmares that would drive anyone to insanity, saw them in super HD on steroids. As if it were happening in real time.

She held her delicate fingers to his cheek, feeling the warm skin. He savored the sensation of her contact.

"I do know," she replied softly. "And I wish I could chase away the dreams of your past."

"I…"

Astrid frowned. Something was wrong. "Zarek? Was it a dream of your past?"

"I… Kind of," Zarek frowned deeply. "It was about… My brothers." He grit his teeth together, the phrase forcing itself out of the spaces between his teeth. "They came and they…" He wrapped his arms around Astrid's bare waist. "They took you away from me." Astrid held him close. "They took you away from me and I never saw you again. I can't have it happen. I can't!"

"Zarek," she hushed him gently as she heard the ring of panic in his voice. "Nobody's going to take me away. I promise. Okay? All your family is dead except for Valerius and he won't hurt us."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because he's a Dark-Hunter, sworn to protect the innocent," Astrid replied softly. "And I judged you innocent."

"You don't know my brothers like I do, Astrid. It never mattered to them what was officially said. I was the whipping boy. I was the cripple, the shame of the family, and for that I deserved to be tortured. They went out of their way to rip away my happiness. Astrid, my family is them, being innocent just means you are easier prey. That it would be easier to take away what makes life worth living."

"Do you remember when you told me about your vengeance?" Astrid asked. "When you became a Dark-Hunter, you got revenge on your father. You stormed his home, looking for him, and you saw Valerius. Grown up. The pride of the family. He looked at you, and didn't attack, remember? He drew his sword and gave it to you to get your revenge. You could have killed him, too, and I don't think he would have resisted. Are those the actions of a brother who would deprive you of your happiness now?"

"He has before," Zarek whispered bitterly. "He won't anymore, though."

"Zarek, I hope you're saying that because he knows you're an immortal with a soul and god powers, and not because you're planning a nasty surprise on your brother." But the look on Zarek's face confirmed Astrid's fear. She sighed.

"I won't kill him or hurt him," Zarek told her. "But I'm going to remind him every day about how much more powerful I am than he is, so he never gets the idea of coming for us." Astrid shook her head.

"Zarek, please don't. I don't know Valerius personally, but what makes you think he's going to come to Bora Bora take out a hit on me?"

"I'm just going to scare him away from the idea, Astrid. I can't risk losing you, I can't risk having someone else hunt us like Thanatos tried. He got so close to hurting you that I'll always have nightmares about it. Just... allow me this, alright? If I go too far, you can stop me. And I'll listen to you. I promise."

Astrid knew that ultimately, she couldn't stop Zarek from using his powers to hurt his brother. Those were his decisions. His free will. And that he outgunned Valerius was an unfortunate thing for the Dark-Hunter. Astrid didn't want Zarek messing with him, but sighed. She would keep a close eye on Zarek and how he used his powers.

"If you hurt him at all, Zarek," She turned his face to look at her. "I promise that you're sleeping on the couch for a month. For every cut or bruise." She saw the look on Zarek's face. "And I mean it."

"Okay," he sighed. "No hurting him. I'll just mess with him. Maybe I'll make it rain on him, but only on him. Oh, and I can hurt his cars, right? I'll make the engine drop right out from the bottom."

Astrid rolled her eyes. Zarek smiled at her, and reached up to her with his now-steady hands. He tucked back her gold hair behind her ear, leaned in and kissed her on her plush, warm lips. Their kiss was passionate, comforting. Loving. When they broke away, he promised her, "I'll be careful not to hurt him or others. No cuts, no bruises." Astrid sighed.

"I guess that's all I can ask for." They kissed again. Then they went back under the covers of the bed. Zarek was spooning her from behind, his arms wrapped around her sides and his fingers threaded with hers by her stomach. Astrid looked over at the digital clock. Two forty-five. Yep, time to sleep. She snuggled against Zarek and he held her close. Slowly, together, they drifted off.


	2. Sasha

Pt2 Sasha

It was always a strange sight to see a grown-ass man sulk like a small child in public. In human form, Sasha stood out enough among the crowd because he was undoubtably a delicious slice of man-cake. Ladies, and a few daring young men, gave him the bedroom eyes- but the werewolf wasn't in the mood. In fact, he went out of his way to ignore everyone in the boutique while he grudgingly waited for Astrid to finish putting on another stupid wedding dress.

Why, oh why did it have to be THAT guy? Sasha could almost growl at just the thought of that bastard Zarek, the man who had somehow pulled the wool over the eyes of the justice nymph who had been judging him not too long ago in Alaska. Apparently the man had been able to plant an entire fleet of sheep in front of Astrid, because she had agreed to marry him! Now, that made Sasha groan in agony. Why was his best friend so damnably stupid and why was he so damnably stupid for staying with her as she vowed to never leave the man who drove him crazy? Because he was a fool, that was why. And because he loved Astrid like a sister. And he protected her with his life.

And Fates have mercy on that rank Greek bastard if he dared to hurt his sister.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Sasha turned on the plush, shiny couch he was perched on to frown at an older gentleman in a suit who obviously worked in the building. He had dark chocolate skin that was worn with laugh lines and crows feet and the like, dark eyes and curly, short hair. He smiled at Sasha patiently.

"Are you the father of the bride, or the brother?"

"Neither." Sasha snapped at the stranger. The man's smile, however, didn't waver and in fact he laughed like the wolf's answer had been exactly what he had expected.

"You must be a very close friend, though, because you look like you ate a bowl of lemons! Sir, you know what I think?" Sasha was about to tell him something rude and childish, but the man continued on without waiting for him. "I think you're mad because you think that if your lady is getting married away, that means they'll not love you anymore or they'll leave and you'll never see them again. Or, even better: they'll never need you to protect them." Sasha felt a pang in his heart. The man was, frustratingly enough, spot on. The wolf sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, his inner animal needing to pace. Waiting wasn't something he did, but Astrid had ordered that he stay put until she had found the perfect dress. The employee took a seat next to Sasha and continued to speak, and this time Sasha listened. "Look, son. People leave. Physically, mentally, emotionally. All the time, children and friends are growing up and they're growing away. But that's life. And even if it isn't fair, it's life, and it's an important part of it because it means you helped her grow into an independent, strong woman who is choosing her own future. And you should feel so, so proud."

"But she's leaving." Sasha whined, wiggling around in his seat uncomfortably. Now that the man had opened the floodgates, just anyone try to stop the water rushing out now. "I've been with Astrid for years. She saved me. I stayed with her because I had nowhere else to go- _nowhere_. I had a family who screwed me with a stick of dynamite then set the end on fire, then got _offended_ when I took the dynamite out and threw it at them! But Astrid saved me- uh, well, technically her sister saved me, but Astrid was the one who really helped me after that. And she didn't expect me to stay with her and be her pet or her friend or her indentured servant, and she never ask me to lay my life on the line for her. But I stayed because I'm not without honor, and I want her to be safe. And then, somehow, we became friends. I mean, don't get me wrong, she's a bit-" he wiggled his finger around the side of his head and mouthed the word 'cuckoo', "- and this guy she's fallen for, he's a complete asswipe! He's mean and he's an animal, he eats like a caveman and he's rude all the time and he doesn't trust anyone, and trouble follows him like black on the night sky. I mean, he almost got her killed! But does she listen to me when I try to convince her otherwise? No! I'm just the dog. Ugh, it makes me so mad! I mean, it isn't like I've been protecting her for years or anything! Or helped her when she was in danger! Or listened to her stupid girly music or movies. Or put up with her stupid girly house. Or listened when she cried. Or, or comforted her when she was scared." Sasha pressed his face into his hands and took a deep breath. The man listened sympathetically. "And what can Zarek do?" Sasha demanded, angrily, selfish tears pricking at his eyes. "He can't comfort her! He's an animal! The only thing animals can do is take advantage of the weak. He can't love her, or be kind to her. He isn't kind to anyone!" But on the inside, Sasha knew that that wasn't true. As much as he hated to admit it, Zarek was a decent man underneath the layers and layers of snark and barbs. The former slave had grown up with only hatred and unfairness, and still he managed to be unfathomably kind. For that, Sasha could only be more angry at him.

"Sir, I know what you mean. My daughter got married four years ago. Completely against my will, by the way," the man added. Sasha stared at him. "I asked around after this boy she was going to run away with, and found all sorts of stories about him that made my hackles rise, so to speak. Trouble in the home, trouble in the school, trouble in his friends- so naturally, I thought he was incapable of making her happy. But my daughter was as stubborn as her mother and went ahead anyways. Do you know what she told me? She told me, 'Dad, I want you to be in my life forever. To see my wedding and my first house and my kids birthday parties. But if you don't want me to make my own decisions and take my own risks, then I'll live without you, too.'"

"Sir, do you really want to hurt Astrid by trying to stop her from achieving that which makes her really and truly happy?"

"Of course not!" Sasha whined. He never wanted to hurt Astrid. Sure, he would never feel compelled to be overly polite. And Sasha would eat his own toes off before he stopped being the selfish child he was. But he would rather die than stop Astrid from being happy, even if he wasn't the one making her happy.

"Then stop sulking in the bridal shop like a child denied candy," the man told him, "and lighten up! You'll stay in touch with Astrid for a long time after her wedding, and you can help her in times of trouble still. You can look out for her. Most importantly, you can watch her live a life married to a man she adores. And trust me when I say that that in itself is a rare and valuable thing. Also, if her husband ever hurts her, you have full license to beat him into the ground."

Sasha grinned for the first time in days. "With pleasure." The assistant grinned back. "Thanks."

"No problem, sir."


	3. Astrid

"Astrid?"

At the sound of her husband's voice, the justice nymph looked up, exhausted but happy. She wiped away some sweat from her brow as her handsome man came to her bedside, their son in tow. Menecaeus, or Bob, as Zarek called him, peeked over the mattress, his eyes wide.

Zarek picked up their son in his arms and sat down in the chair next to the bed, staring all the while at the bundle swaddled in blue blankets in his wife's arms. Astrid proudly reached up and pushed back some of the folds, and there was the gift- their new daughter. The babe had been screaming the moment she had been born, but now had fallen asleep. Clean, safe, and warm. And right in her mother's arms, just where she should be.

"Hey, look at my handsome men," Astrid sighed happily, smiling at them both. Menecaeus reached over the bed, trying to get up but being too short to climb onto the bed. Zarek lifted him onto his lap as he sat down on the chair next to the bed. "Hey, love. I thought you were supposed to be in the waiting room." The doctor had told her to get some rest, and that he would bring in her family in a bit. The doctor was nowhere to be seen, however.

"Well," Zarek began quietly, so as not to wake the sleeping babe in his wife's arms, "they told me you were supposed to be sleeping. But the doctor is answering an emergency call on the second floor and the security guard is currently cleaning up Bob's pee from the floor, which is actually a can of apple juice carefully spilled out while Bob had his back turned to the guard. We have a clever boy," Zarek added fondly, mussing Menecaeus' blonde mop. The child happily grinned. "I didn't even ask him to do it. But you should have seen how wide the guy's eyes got. In the confusion, I figured nobody would mind if we peeked in here for a second." Astrid rolled her eyes, but forgave her husband. Zarek was, after all, physically incapable of waiting in a room to be told whether or not the birth had had complications, or if it had been successful of not. Of course he had snuck in. He loved her too much not to.

Zarek stared at the bundle in Astrid's arms. "Is that her?" Astrid smiled, and reached up to her baby to push the folds of the blanket away from their daughter's face. She saw what looked suspiciously like overwhelming emotion on Zarek's face before her husband took a deep breath and smiled, his love and joy radiating through him. "Astrid," he breathed, "she's perfect."

"Can I pet it?" Menecaeus asked his Daddy innocently. Zarek made an undignified snort and Astrid laughed quietly as she could manage without waking up the baby.

"No, sweetie," Astrid replied after containing her amusement. "You can't pet it. This is your baby sister."

But Bob had lost interest when he couldn't pet it, and had let sleep overtake him. Menecaeus had been awake with his father for hours and had forgone naps. He was, Astrid surmised, pooped.

Zarek reached over his son to rest it on his wife's delicate shoulder. "Don't mind him," he told her. "Bob's only, what, three?"

"I'm not mad at our three year old for being a three year old," Astrid chuckled. Zarek leaned in, and they shared a soft, adoring kiss. Then, Zarek looked at the newborn again. "Would you like to hold her?" Zarek looked uncomfortable. "Look, you've done this tons of times, love. Hold our daughter." Before Zarek could protest, Astrid carefully put the swaddled baby in Zarek's arms. He held the baby like a bomb about to go off and looked vaguely panicked.

"I don't want to drop her," he protested weakly, slowly and carefully cradling her against his chest. He could feel her tiny heartbeat against his. Astrid knew he wouldn't drop her. Her husband was just being nervous and jittery. He was like this the first time he had held Bob, too.

"You're doing just fine," Astrid told him gently. "Breathe." And Zarek did, and eventually lapsed into a peace that Astrid knew he would remember forever.

She would have just let them stay silent and blissful forever, but the door opened again, and Sasha poked his head in carefully. He looked at the four of them with an uncharacteristic, brooding silence. Astrid smiled over at him. "Hey, Sasha. You're fine, come on in." Zarek didn't bother masking his peace in front of Sasha. He was just too happy. Sasha, however, looked a bit like he had been kicked, though he crouched next to the bed and smiled.

"Hey. How you feeling?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," Astrid replied pleasantly. Sasha peeked over at the blankets Zarek held. "That's our new daughter," Astrid told him proudly. Sasha's face was indiscernible. "We haven't named her yet, though. We haven't found the right name."

"I hear the name Hashtag is trending this year."

"Help, my sides are hurting from laughing so hard," Astrid retorted sarcastically. "We'll find something."

"She's beautiful," Sasha remarked quietly. "In a, you know… New-baby… Alien-thing… Sort of way." Astrid laughed at that.

"Thanks." She reached up and took Sasha's hand in hers gently. "What's wrong?" Sasha didn't look her in the eyes. "Sasha."

'You have a full family, Astrid,' Sasha's voice whispered through her thoughts. 'And you don't need me nearly as much as you used to. I was worried- I mean, I don't want to be abandoned again, and you have every reason to want me to leave because now Zarek is protecting you, and your have two kids, and you won't have time for me-'

'Sasha,' Astrid pressed with her own thoughts, squeezing his hand comfortingly. 'Over all the years where you've acted like a spoiled child except with a mouth full of sharp teeth, or the times when you scared off suitors, or when you made fun of my favorite movies and such, if none of that could make me want you to leave then why do you think two kids are going to change that? I mean, now I need you more than ever. Because believe it or not, we're all a family now. And Menecaeus is your nephew, and this newborn baby alien girl is your niece. You don't need to stay if you don't want to, but I want to make it clear that you're a part of this and you always, always, _always_ have a place in my heart and my home.'

Sasha didn't reply. He just clutched her hand with his, but Astrid's words must have reached him because he smiled at her and calmed down. And eventually, Menecaeus began to wake up, so Zarek quickly handed the newborn to Astrid, who let Sasha have a turn hosting the Is-This-How-You-Hold-An-Infant? show. Zarek allowed Menecaeus to crawl over his lap and into the hospital bed with Mommy, and cuddle up by her side with one of her arms curled around him. After a few minutes of quiet talking, Astrid began to fall asleep with Menecaeus, and once they were out, the doctor found them all congregated in the room. The newborn was taken by some nurses, who were closely followed by Zarek to make sure the baby was transported safely to the room where all new babies went. Sasha stayed behind to watch over Astrid, his friend, and his nephew.

Finding himself alone, Sasha suddenly had a a thought. "Oh!" He bounced on the floor, excited with his thought. "Oh, oh! Astrid!" He almost thought of waking her up, but couldn't bring herself to do it. So, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Kyra. How does the name Kyra sound?" In response, Astrid mumbled incoherently in her sleep but otherwise made no acknowledgment. Sasha sat back, satisfied with himself. "I dunno. I like it. But whatever, don't listen to me." He continued to have a one-sided conversation, but Astrid had heard his suggestion without knowing it. Sasha had just named the baby. Kyra Magnus. Astrid smiled peacefully in her sleep, then dreamed of a pleasant nothing.


End file.
